April 21, 2025

Weaving A Better Future For Women with Du Anyam

Berdaya013 mins
In a small village in East Flores, the rhythmic swish of woven palm leaves (lontar) fills the air. The hands that move skillfully – twisting, folding, and securing each strand – belong to women whose craft tells a deeper story.
These women artisans are part of Du Anyam, a social enterprise that was founded to empower the livelihood of mothers and children in rural Indonesia through high-quality woven products.
Berdaya Talk is an initiative that explores the stories of change makers and the initiatives they have developed to support sustainable development in Indonesia. This time, we are joined by Melia Winata, Co-Founder at Du Anyam.

Tell us what inspired Du Anyam? What problem did you want to address through it?

Our journey began in 2014 with just 10 weavers in East Flores. At the time, many women in rural areas faced limited economic opportunities and struggled to access proper nutrition and healthcare. Malnutrition rates among young children were alarmingly high.
According to the 2015-2017 Pemantauan Status Gizi report, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) faces severe malnutrition compared to the national average.
All three indicators (stunting, wasting, and underweight) are consistently higher than the national average, indicating that NTT faces serious nutritional challenges.
Despite slight improvements, stunting remains alarmingly high, especially among balita (40.3% in 2017).
Recognizing these challenges, Du Anyam set out to create alternative livelihood opportunities through weaving, reducing dependence on seasonal farming income, which is often riddled with fluctuating cash flow.
By 2019, the initiative had trained over 1,600 women weavers using a standardized training module, providing not just skills but also an avenue for financial independence.
By empowering these women with more financial autonomy, they are more likely to focus spending on nutritious food, health care, and education.

How Tradition and Culture Sets The Path for Prosperity

For generations, the women of East Flores and other rural communities in Indonesia have mastered the intricate art of weaving.
The rhythmic dance of their fingers across strands of lontar leaves is a deeply ingrained tradition passed down through centuries. These women do not need to be taught how to weave; they already hold the foundational knowledge, techniques, and cultural wisdom within them.
What Du Anyam brings to the table is not instruction, but opportunity. Du Anyam works alongside the artisans, helping them refine and adapt their work to meet market demands.
By identifying consumer preferences, evolving design trends, and functional product innovations, Du Anyam enables weavers to create pieces that not only honor their culture but also resonate with global buyers. This approach ensures that the value of their craft is fully recognized both in its artistic and economic potential.

We believe that business sustainability and social impact can go hand in hand when there is a balance between innovation, collaboration, and a strong commitment to our empowerment vision.

Through this approach, Du Anyam can continue to create economic opportunities for more women while maintaining sustainable business growth. We want to demonstrate that balancing impact and profit doesn’t have to come at the expense of the other.

Additionally, the lontar leaves they work with are locally sourced, reinforcing a fully community-driven ecosystem where both the materials and the skills remain rooted in their heritage.

Taking Indonesian Weaving to the Global Stage

The results of Du Anyam’s approach has spoken for itself.
In 2022, the weavers’ skills were recognized on a national level when Du Anyam became the official merchandiser for the G20 Summit in Bali. Their work was also showcased in six IKEA stores across Indonesia, further elevating the craft and creating sustainable income for the artisans.
Today, Du Anyam’s handcrafted products have traveled far beyond Indonesia. The brand has exported to the United States, Europe (Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium), Asia (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong), and Australia – proving that traditional craftsmanship has a place on the global stage.

Empowerment Can Happen At All Levels

For the women behind the weaves, this journey is not just about economic survival but also about sharing their stories to the world. Take Mama Imelda Mida Manuk, for example.
Once confined to the traditional roles within her village, she now travels across Indonesia to train other women in weaving. Her journey took her to Sorong, Papua, where she passed on her expertise to indigenous weavers, ensuring that traditional skills do not fade away but continue to thrive across regions.
Similarly, Mama Ann took the stage as a keynote speaker at the national-scale Meuseuraya Festival in Aceh, an event hosted by Bank Indonesia with over 5,000 attendees. Standing before an audience that included policymakers, business leaders, and artisans from across the country, she spoke about the importance of economic independence for women in rural areas.
This shows that empowerment can happen at all levels, from tangible income improvements to soft skill development like building confidence and public speaking, building cycles of impact, empowering and inspiring even more people.

What are some of the challenges you face as a business today, and how has that evolved compared to when you first started?

The success that Du Anyam has enjoyed is of course not clear of its own challenges. In the early days of Du Anyam, our greatest challenge was not weaving baskets – it was weaving trust.

Convincing mothers to join the initiative and collectively empower their communities required patience, education, and inspiration.

Many were hesitant, unsure of the opportunities that lay ahead. To bridge this gap, they focused on showcasing success stories, identifying early champions, and building tangible proof of what was possible. These women became living testaments to the impact of economic empowerment, encouraging others to follow in their footsteps.

Now, a decade since their journey began, the challenges have evolved alongside their growth. One of the most pressing issues they face today is securing a sustainable supply of lontar, the key raw material for weavings.

Unlike industrialized materials, lontar is sourced through a non-centralized, community-based process, making procurement complex and unpredictable. Ensuring a steady flow of quality materials while maintaining the environmental and economic sustainability of their supply chain has become an ongoing priority.

To tackle this, Du Anyam has strengthened synergies with the private sector and government stakeholders to improve the lontar supply chain.

We view this challenge as part of our journey toward growth and greater impact. Successfully addressing it would enable the organization to empower more women, serve more customers with higher-quality products, and contribute further to the development of rural communities.

What does success mean to you ?

For Du Anyam, success is measured not only by commercial achievements but also by the social impact we create. We gauge our success through increased incomes, the enhanced role of women in household decision-making, and the preservation of local cultural values.

Moreover, our dream is to expand our empowerment regions, allowing even more women the opportunity to empower themselves and create positive change within their communities.

Du Anyam acknowledges that this success is not built by them alone. They’ve carefully built strategic partnerships with various sectors, including corporations, governments, and social organizations, to create an ecosystem that supports both business sustainability and women’s empowerment.

How You Can Be Part of the Journey

Du Anyam’s mission thrives on collaboration. Whether you’re an individual or an organization, there are many ways to support:

  • Strategic Partnerships: Businesses can integrate Du Anyam’s crafts into their supply chain or corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.
  • Corporate and Personal Gifting: Purchasing these woven products as corporate gifts or event souvenirs directly contributes to empowerment of women and the education of our community.
  • Spreading the Story: Raising awareness about these artisans and their impact helps drive demand and appreciation for traditional craftsmanship.

Learn more about Du Anyam and their works here:

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